Henna Tattoo Care

Henna tattoos are a great alternative to permanent tattoos, as these are temporary answers to getting sexy or bold designs on any part of your body. However, to get that perfect dark shade, one needs to ensure a proper henna tattoo care.

Pragya T

Last Updated: Mar 7, 2018

It is fun to watch a tattoo artist draw a design, isn't it? But, to get a permanent tattoo, one has to endure the pain of a needle. If you want a temporary and cool looking tattoo, henna tattoo is your best option. Henna is actually a flowering shrub and is used to make henna powder, which is used for body art. Many people even use it to condition or dye their hair. There are two types of henna, the first type causes a dark red staining and the second type evokes a shade of black. The type of henna mostly used for tattooing is the one which gives a dark red color. Many people use black henna too, but it can cause skin irritation and severe itching. So, it is advisable that you stick to the type of henna that stains red. In case you are using henna that gives a black color and you experience skin irritation, wash the tattooed skin surface immediately with soap and water and apply a moisturizer. The care instructions for black and red henna tattoo are the same.

How to Care for a Henna Tattoo

If you want a nice and dark color from your henna tattoos, patience and maintaining body heat is the key. Use the below tattoo care instructions and enjoy the dark color of your tattoo.

Apply eucalyptus oil to the body part where you will be getting the henna tattoo.

After the henna tattoo has been applied, keep the tattoo paste on for as long as possible. It is advisable to keep it on for a minimum of 6 hours and that is the reason for the belief, that the best time to get a henna tattoo done is before going to bed and then leaving it on overnight.

Henna stains better if the body heat is maintained. You can have some hot drink like tea or coffee to get a better color out of your tattoo.

If you have applied henna tattoo on your hands, then follow this method to darken the color. Take some cloves in a pan, mildly heat them, and then place your hands over the steam emanating from the pan. It is important that you follow this tip with caution.

After the henna is kept overnight, scrape it off in the bathroom sink. You can use an old toothbrush to do this. If you are not keeping the henna tattoo on overnight, but just for a few hours, make sure it is completely dry before you scrape it off.

When you are done removing the dry paste from your hands, apply some topical decongestant. The decongestant will really warm up the body part and the henna will stain even better. After 2 hours, you can again apply the decongestant a second time on your hands.

After 3 - 4 hours, you can wash the body part with water. To maintain the henna tattoo on your body for a longer time, avoid washing it too much. The tattoo will last longer if you protect the tattoo from the chemical ingredients in soaps.

Henna Tattoo Design Ideas

If you are looking for ideas for henna tattoo designs for body art, here are some which you can try.

Your name in Chinese, on your arm.

A nice floral Arabic design on the front and back of your hands.

A slender and elegant circular design around your belly.

Artistic design on your shoulder, arm or back.

A small star or heart on your hip.

Your name's ambigram tattoo design on your nape.

These were the care instructions and some of the cool henna tattoo designs you can try out. So, flaunt your henna tattoo and enjoy the attention and compliments!